by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 27, 2009 at 1:35 pm ET
Din Thomas, a longtime UFC lightweight who recently dropped to the featherweight division, has signed a three-fight with Affliction Entertainment.

The signing, first reported by fiveouncesofpain.com, brings some instant name recognition to the organization's burgeoning 145-pound weight class.

No date or opponent has been determined for the American Top Team fighter's promotional debut.

Thomas (23-8 MMA, 5-4 UFC), a 10-year veteran who appeared on a special comeback fourth season of "The Ultimate Fighter," was an early UFC contender who suffered his first career losses to B.J. Penn and Caol Uno in high-profile fights. Following "TUF4," he climbed back into the title picture with an impressive streak of wins over Rich Clementi, Clay Guida and Jeremy Stephens.

However, he was eventually dropped from the organization following back-to-back losses to Kenny Florian and Josh Neer in 2007 and 2008.

After a nearly year-long layoff, Thomas made his featherweight debut at a show co-organized by ATT of Missouri earlier this month in Columbia. There, Thomas easily defeated Dustin Pieken via first-round submission. (Watch the complete Din Thomas vs. Dustin Pieken fight in the MMAjunkie.com archives.)

In charge of a promotion best known for its heavyweight division (with Fedor Emelianenko, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski), Affliction Vice President Tom Atencio has long maintained his desire to bolster the lighter weight classes. The 32-year-old Thomas does just that with Affliction's featherweight division.

Although no official announcement has been made, Affliction's next show is expected to take place in June or July with a main event between Emelianenko and Barnett.